Star Wars_ Boba Fett 05_ A New Threat - Elizabeth Hand [13]
Not that it would matter!
Aaaaergghhhh!
A pale purple tongue protruded from the mushroom's slobbering mouth. Flecks of foul-smelling saliva splattered across Boba's helmet.
With every ounce of strength he had, Boba focused on moving his finger toward the spray stick.
Just an iota, just the merest fraction - And
There was a muffled report. At Boba's side the spray stick shuddered as though it would explode - and then it did!
"Gotcha!" crowed Boba.
A shimmering mist erupted from the stick's tip. It surrounded Boba, but it did not adhere to him. Instead it fixed itself to the slimy membrane that wrapped him like a cocoon. It formed a second web, a net strong enough to hold a charging myntor.
A powerful electrical surge pulsed through the spray mist net. Good thing I have my helmet and body armor! Boba thought.
As the pulsing charge stunned its prey, Boba flung himself forward.
Around him the fungus membrane slackened then recoiled.
He was free!
He heard an unhappy slurping sound, then a sort of sizzling groan.
The next instant he was on the ground, rolling away from the mushroom tree. He stopped himself, then clambered to his feet. His hand felt for the stun stick, disabling it.
"Well, that came in handy," he said.
A few meters off, the mushroom tree quivered and moaned. The stun-net covered its mouth. Its pale tongue poked pathetically at the webbing, while above it the tree's umbrella crown drooped.
"Only a great bounty hunter could have pulled that off!" boasted Boba as he brushed himself off. "And - "
He stiffened. His hand hovered above his blaster as he turned, as slowly as he dared, to face the creature behind him.
"And only a fool would have approached a flimmel tree during feeding hours," it said coolly.
"Who are you?" demanded Boba.
But he might have asked, What are you?
The creature regarded him calmly. It was reptilian, a little taller than Boba and with long, muscular arms and legs clad in what looked like a carno uniform of purple and gray. Its large, almond-shaped eyes were coldly intelligent, its lipless mouth curved in a slight smile to reveal sharp teeth. Its wiry forearms were curled around a blaster rifle.
And the blaster was pointed right at Boba Fett.
CHAPTER TEN
"Who am I?" repeated the creature. "On Xagobah, we like to ask questions before we answer them. But - "
The roaring whine of a missile passed overhead. Boba flinched. A moment later the missile impacted a short distance away, sending him falling to his knees. He looked up to see the creature staring down at him, still eerily calm.
"But we seem to find ourselves on the same side for the moment,"
the creature went on, as though nothing had happened. The muzzle of its blaster remained fixed on Boba as it motioned for him to get up.
"And what side is that?" snapped Boba.
"The wrong one," retorted the creature, as another missile whizzed overhead. "Quickly!"
It jammed the blaster rifle into Boba's side, gesturing toward the mushroom forest.
"No way!" Boba shook his head. "I've already made dinner plans, and they don't include being the main course!"
The creature made a low growling sound. Boba stiffened, then realized the thing was laughing. "Dinner plans!" it repeated. "That is good! Feeding time is over - " It poked him again, harder this time.
Reluctantly, Boba began moving toward the fungi forest.
"The flimmel trees share an underground root system," the creature continued. "They are thousands of years old, and when one is hurt, they all suffer. And that one was very badly hurt!"
It indicated the flimmel tree that Boba had escaped from. Its canopy had retracted completely. It looked like a closed - and very mournful - umbrella.
"None of them will